Mine-car-dumping apparatus.



C. A. GRIFFITH.

MINE GAR DUMPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27. 1910. RENEWED MAY 14, 1914. 1 1 1 1 3 Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

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THE NORRIS PEYER; (10..PHUTD'LITHO"WASHINGTON n r 0. A. GRIFFITH. MINE CAR DUMPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 27. 1910. RENEWED MAY 14, 1914. 1, 1 1 1 3 Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS c0 F'HOfO-LHJO WAbIy/NUIQN r c.

C. A. GRIFFITH. MINE OAR DUMPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED DBO. 27. 1910. RENEWED my 14, 1914.

1, 1 1 1,830, Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60., F'HOTU LITHQ, WASHINQIIJN. u (1.

G. A. GRIFFITH.

MINE OAR DUMPING APPARATUS. APPLICATION FILED 1120.27. 1910. RENEWED MAY 14. 1914.

1,1 1 1 ,830, Patented Sept. 29, 1914.

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w '5 v Eb k\} WWI mow 1 KM zi- THE- NORRIS PETERS 60.. PHOTO-LITHQ. VIASNINCTON. D. Cv

UNITED srA'rns rAT T OFFICE.

CHARLES .A. GRIFFITH, ori'rfnunnn, TENNESSEE.

MINE-oAR-DUMPInG' AP ARA S.

Specification of Letters Betcha Patented Sept. 1914.

Original application filed. May 1'7, 1909, Serial 1%, 496,566.. Pivided and. this application filed December 27,

1910, Serial No. 599,241; Renewedltiayl, 1914. Serial No. 838,616. i

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES A. GRIFFITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pruden, in the county of Claiborne and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Mine-Car-Dumping Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, reference being bad therein to the accompanying drawing.

My improvement relates particularly to paratus shown in the right hand part of Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is a section on the line 4% of Fig. 3, showing atransverse shaft and parts thereto attached, the function of which is to engage and hold the car while it is being tilted and thereafter release it and allow it to move forward on the track; Fig. 5 is a detail section of a latch supporting bracket on the line 55 of Fig. 3, looking toward the left; Fig. 6 is a section on the line 66 of Fig. 3, looking toward the left; Fig. 7 is horizontal section on the line 77 of Fig. 3; Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 3, looking in the direction of the arrow; Fig. 9 is a sectional detail showing the attachment of one of the guard rails to:

thence along said platform. The movement of filledcars is from right I the adjacent main rail.

to left. 1

Any suitable trestle or frame-work may be used for supporting the track at the desired height to make room for dumping plates, screens, etc. below the track. In the form shown in the drawings, the frame-work is wide enough to also support a returnportion of the main track at which the cars are to be tilted for the discharge of their loads through the spaces between said sills) and along themain track at the right of said dumping station. The posts A,A, are shortened slightly from the left to the right so as tojmake the return track supported by the sills .C, decline sufficiently towardthe right to cause the empty cars to run thereon toward the right by gravity. 1

At the right or in front of the dumping station, short posts E, rise from the caps B,

and transverse caps, F rest upon said posts.

And upon said caps rest longitudinal beams or sills, G. Uponsaid beams rests flooring H, Wll1Cl1 supports the rails, I, I, forming the main track; In. order thatv said track may decline toward the dumping station so as to allow the filled cars torun thereon by gravity toward the dumping station, the short pestsE, are made lower and lower from right to left, and by meansof said posts this 1 portion of thetraok is elevated above the flooring D, which is at the opposite side of the dumping station, in order that the portion of. the track passing the dumping 'sta tion may be steep.

Near the middle of the dumping station I form II, across the dump opening in the frame at the dumping station to the platform D, at, the left of said opening, and After leaving the platform II, said rails are straightfor a short distance and then extend downward at a steep grade to meet the cross beam K, as shown in Fig. 3. Thissteep portion of said rails between the platform, H, and the cross beam K, supportsthe car S, while the load is being discharged, and such portion of said rails must be of sufficient inclination to allow the contents of the car: to slide by gravity out of theforward. or left hand end of the car body when the adjacent end board 8, has been raised aswill be hereinafter described. In the opening betweenthe cross beams, K and L, andthe longitudinal sills C, is an inclined dumping plate M, which leads to a screen N. Inasmuch as such dumping plates and screens have heretofore been used, I deem it unnecessary to here describe them in detail. Along the lnner s de of such steep portion of each of the rails I, I, is a guard rail J, supported from the adjacent rail 1, by brackets j, (see Figs. 1 and 9). The purpose of said guard rails is to prevent the cars from shifting laterally far enough to make the car wheels fail to engage the curved arms 7, hereinafter described.

Associated with the track formed by the track rails I, is a return track 0, suitable track switches being located between thethe main track, as will be describedbelow.

dumping station and the left hand end of;

And the left hand end of the main track is curved upward, as shown in Fig. 2, to arrest the forward movement of the car coming from the dumping station after allowing the car to rise sufficiently to cause it to run backward and pass the switch and enter upon the return track.

The inner rail 0, of the return track extends beneath the adjacent rail I, of the main track and approaches the other rail I, of the main track. A switch polnt P, extends obliquely toward the left from the end of said I rail O, to said rail of the main track. Said point is hinged at p to the end of the rail 0, of the return track and is pressed agalnst the adjacent rail of the main track by a spring p", on a bolt 72 As will be readily understood from the drawings, the wheels of a car while passing toward the left on said main rail will said main rail.

push said point away from Immediately at the right of the inner rail O, the main track rail 1, is cut obliquely, approximately-parallelto said rail 0, so that the-ends of said cut overlap, and near the' other rail 0, said rail I, is again out. The

section P, of the rail I, thus freed is hinged attached by the other end-to said freed section of the adjacent rail I, draws the right hand end of said freed section yleldmgly against the adjacent overlapping rail end.

Atthe left of the hinge formed by the pintle (a), there is a'space between the rail I and the outer rail 0, sufiicient to permitthe passing of the'fianges of the car wheels.

It will now be understood that when a car stands upon the extreme left hand portion of the rails I, I, leftward of the switch point P, and is allowed to move rightward by gravity, the wheels will enter upon the rails O, O, the wheels on the inner of said rails pushing aside the hinged sections I of the rail I, which extends across or over the inner rail-O. Thus the two tracks are adapted for 'the movement of the cars by gravity from and then from the left toward the right on the return track. Tracks providing for such movement of the cars past a dumping or tipple have heretofore been used. My improvement is limited to use with mechanism by means of which the car is stopped, in the inclined position, and made to discharge its load at the dumping station and then released and allowed to proceed. This carstopping mechanism comprises one or more movable members having a path extending from a point outside of the car path into said path in the direction opposite the direction of movement of the cars. In the particular form shown in the drawings, there are two such members consisting of curves arms rigidly mounted on a rock shaft located below the track rails, or said arms and said shaft may be regarded as together constituting such a stopping member.

The rock-shaft 1, is located below the rails I, I, and rests in bearings 2, secured by cars 3, and bolts l to said rails. At the outer side of each of said rails a sleeve 5 surrounds said shaft and is immovably secured thereto by a key 6; and from each of said sleeves rises a curved arm 7 rigid with said sleeve, so that said arms can turn only when said shaft turns. The inner portion of said arm is directed toward the right and is of proper size and form to receive the forward portion of the forward wheel of a car moving toward the left on the rails I, I, after said arms have been turned toward the left. But, in their normal position, said arms are turned far enough to the right to cause their upper ends to bear against the rims of the forward car wheels approximately horizontally opposite the hubs of said wheels, as shown in Fig. 2. The movements of said arms, and the rock shaft 1, are controlled by means of a segment, an arm, and a spring mounted upon one end of the rock shaft next to the adjacent sleeve 5. Such arm 8 is mounted radially on the sleeve 9, which surrounds the shaft 1, and is secured immovably thereby by means of a key 10. Said sleeve 9 is loosely surrounded by a sleeve 11, between the arm 8, and the adjacent sleeve And said sleeve 11, supports a rigid quadrant plate 12-, which is parallel to the arm 8, and has in its periphery a notch 13, and on its periphery at its upper corner, a stop 1 f, and on its periphery at its lower corner, a stop 15. Above the arm 8, and on the adjacent face of said quadrant plate is a stop 16, which limits the upward movement of said arm.

A contracting coiled spring 17, is secured by one end to a wrist 18, on the arm 8, and by its other end to a wrist 19, on the lower corner of the quadrant plate 1.2.

When the curved arms 7 are not engaged by the wheels of a car, the spring 17, e011- tracts and draws the arm 8, toward the wrist 19, whereby the rock shaft is partially ro tated and caused to carry the curved arms 7, toward the right or clockwise, as viewed in Figs. 2 and 3. Said quadrant plate is normally held in the lower right hand quarter of the circle, the position shown in Figs. 2 and 3, by means of a latch bolt 20, entering said notch 13.

bracket 22, which bracket extends rigidly downward from the adjacent rail I, to which it is secured by means of bolts or rivets 23.

of the framing, while the-right hand end of said bar is hinged at 31 to the upright lever 32. The lower end of said lever 1s hinged at 33 to the frame structure.

At the left of the sleeve 30, an expanding,

coiled spring 341, surrounds the shiftbar 29, and bears by its right hand end agalnst said sleeve while 1ts left hand end bears agalnst a cross pin 35, in said shift rod, whereby said spring-is adapted to normally press said shift rod toward the left.

The relative arrangement and dimensions of the latch bolt, shift bar, and springs 24 and 34s, are such as to put the" hooks 27 and 28, into engagement with each other when. the lever 32, is free and the latch bolt rests in the notch 13. j j

The operation of this mechanism for holding the car on the steep inclined portion of the track rails I, I, is as follows: Assuming that the parts are in their normal positionthe latch bolt in the notch 13, of the quadrant plate 12, whereby said quadrant plate is locked immovably, and the coiled spring 17, has contracted so as to lean the curved arms7, toward the right.

a loaded mine car S, is allowed to run by gravity over the rails I, I, from the right toward the left until the front wheels IV, of said car bear againstthe curved arms 7, and press them leftward, turning the rock shaft 1, and the arm 8, in opposition to the spring 17, the latter being lengthened,

until said arm 8, bears against the stop 16,

on the upper edge of the quadrant plate,

whereby said rock shaft and the curved arms 7, are locked against further movement with reference to saidquadrant plate. The latter has already been locked by the latch bolt 20. Hence the curved arms 7,

Said latch bolt is held slida-; bly in a horizontal sleeve 21, supported by. a

across the adjacent bar 36.

stand immovably inthe path of the wheels of the car and hold the car immovably at the sameinclination as the inclination of the portions of the rails I, I, upon which the wheels of the car then rest. And in this position the car will remain so long as the quadrant plate remains locked. By now moving the lever 32, toward the rightpthe shift bar 29, draws the latch bolt 20, toward the right and out of engagement with the quadrant plate, whereby the latter is free to turn upward (contra-clockwise) until the lower stop .15, on said plate abuts against the latch bolt sleeve 21. This allows the curved arms 7, to move leftward and downward until they reach the level of the upper faces; of the rails I, and leave a clear way for the car wheels to move forward on said rails. After said wheels have passed, the spring 17 again contracts and drawsthe arm 8, toward the wrist 19, on the quadrant plate, whereby the normal relation between said plate and the curved arms 8,. is restored; and at the same time the weight of the quadrant plate, arm 8, and coiled spring 17, turn said rock shaft clockwise, said plate, arm, and spring going downward, until the notch 13 is opposite the latch bolt, whereupon said bolt slips into said notch and again locks said plate. The stop 14 arrests the downward movement of the quadrant plate-when said notch is opposite the latch bolt.

At each side of the dumping station is an 1 approximately horizontal and stationary bar 36, supported on standards 37, having their lower' ends secured; to the adjacent rail I. The function of said bars is to support the forward end gates, of the car while the forward end of the cardescends, whereby said end of the car is left ,open for the escape of the contents of the car by gravity. Each end of said end gate is secured to one end of an arm 8 ,1Vl1ll6 the opposite end of said arm is hinged to the car body at 8 A brace 8* extends from the lower portion of the end gate to the arm 8 An ear .9, extends laterally from each upper corner of the end gate far enough to extend The relative height of said bars and said ears is such as that when the car comes to said bars from the right, said ears will pass over a rod upon said bars, whereby the end gate is carried horizontally while the car moves downward away from the endgate until the end of the car is open sufficiently for the discharge of its contents. Bars 36 serve to. guide the door alonga path at an angle 1 to and above the path which it would take 1 were the bars or their equivalents not pro vided. When the car is released from the curved arms 7, and allowed to move forward, the ears .9, slide downward over the left hand standards 87, until the end gate.

1 positively to open the gate and that depend- 41, toward the right.

ence is not placed on the weight of the door itself or on the weight of the material within the car for causing the gate to open.

The lever 32, and the shift bar 29, consti-i tute manual means for operating the latch bolt20. I also provide mechanism for the automatic shifting of the latch bolt by an empty car running toward the right on the return track. A. short rock shaft 38,'rests in'a horizontal bearing 89, adjacent and at right angles to the inner rail 0, of the returnf track. On said rock shaft is a tripping arm 10, which rises into the path of the car wheels. On the other end of said rock shaft is an upright cord arm 4E1, from the free: end of which a cord 42, extends toward the left to and around a guide pulley 43, and thence diagonally forward and toward the right beneath the main track to and around the guide pulley 4A, to the shift bar 29, to; which it is attached at the left of said pulleyj When an empty car moves toward the right on the return track, the wheels thereof on the inner rail 0, turn the-tripping arm 40, toward the right, whereby said rock shaft is turned so as to force the cord arm This draws the cord over the guide pulleys 18 and at, the end of, said cord which is secured to the shift bar. going toward the right and drawing said barin the same direction and causing said. bar to operate for the release of the latch bolt 20, from the quadrant plate 12, just as is done when the lever 32, is drawn toward the right by the hand of the attendant.

Thus my apparatus is adapted for the release of the emptied; car from the carstopping member manually or automatically. Whether the operation is manual or} automatic, it will be observed that it is desirable that the car engaged by the carstopping member be released only after the last preceding car has passed backward on the switch and entered fully upon the return track so as to leave a clear way for the next car. By placing the tripping arm d0, ad jacent the return track at a proper distance- ,to the right from the switch, the automatic operation can occur only after the empty car is fully upon the return track.

This application constitutes a division of my application for mine car dumping apparatus, filed May 17, 1909, Serial No. 496,560, patented'Jan. 24, 1911, No. 982,-126. YVliat I claim is 1. In a car dumping apparatus, the combination of a track support, a continuous unbroken track mounted on the said support to be held thereby with all of its parts fixed against movement and with one part intermediate its ends at a longitudinal. inclination such that a car upon it will discharge 1 its contents by gravity through one end, a

mechaiiism for engaging a car to resist and temporarily stop its movement along the said inclined part of the track in order to effectdumping and for then permitting it to move onward, and means for automatically opening the end of the car as the car is stopped. p 21 In a car dumping apparatus, the combination of a track support, a continuous unbroken track mounted on the said support to be held thereby with all of its parts fixed against movement, the said track comprising two substantially horizontal parts at different elevations and a short connecting part between them having a. longitudinal inclination such that a car upon it will dis charge its contents by gravity through one end, and a mechanism for engaging a car to stop it on the said inclined part of the track in order to effect dumping and for then permitting it to move onward.

3. In a car dumping apparatus, the combination of a track support, a continuous unbroken track mounted on the said support to be held thereby with all of its parts fixed against movement, the said track comprising two substantially horizontal parts at different elevations and a short connecting part between them having a longitudinal inclination such that a car upon it will discharge its contents by gravity through one end, a mechanism for engaging a car to stop it on the said inclined part of the track in order to effect dumping and for then permitting it to move onward, and means adjacent the inclined part of the track for engaging the vertically movable end door of a car and guiding it along a fixed path at an angle to and above that which it would take if not so engaged, whereby the door is opened as the car is moved into inclined dumping position.

In testimony whereof I aiiix my signature, in presence of two witnesses.

CHARLES A. GRIFFITH. Witnesses:

W. E. DAVIS, R. S. Moore.

I Copies of this patent may be'obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents.

Washington, D. G." 

